Sermon for September 6, 2015

Sermon for September 6, 2015 BMZ Church Series: Everyday Heroes For Message: Mark 9:33-35; Philippians 2:3-7; John 10:10; Matthew 25:34-40 Message Title: The Greatness Principle Introduction: Good Morning BMZ! I m so glad you are with us today as we BEGIN a NEW WORSHIP SERIES called Everyday Heroes! Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at WHAT GREATNESS IS and HOW to ATTAIN IT! I m glad you are here!! So, here is what I KNOW about YOU! You want to, DEEP DOWN, be GREAT! Now, I know that all of you HUMBLE people out there are saying, No! Not me BUT, whether you say that you want to be GREAT or that you want to MATTER or that you want to have SIGNIFICANCE or you want to leave a LEGACY or you want to have an IMPACT in THIS LIFE it all comes back to GREATNESS. AND that s OKAY!! We all want to MATTER! I don t think there is a single one of us, if we are HONEST, that is saying, I just want to use up some OXYGEN and take up some SPACE and then DIE! That would make me HAPPY! We human beings are DESIGNED to want to be REMEMBERED as SOMETHING BEYOND AVERAGE. It s OKAY! It happened back in JESUS DAY the Disciples were arguing about WHO was the GREATEST. We ll get to that story in a little while, BUT, notice JESUS WAS NOT SURPRISED by their ARGUMENT! Not only was He NOT SURPRISED, he used that ARGUMENT to help the DISCIPLES and US have a BETTER UNDERSTANDING of GREATNESS! So, over the next COUPLE of WEEKS, we are going to discover the SECRET to GREATNESS and be reminded that YOU and I CAN BE GREAT NOT only CAN we be GREAT GOD DOESN T WANT YOU AND ME TO MISS OUT ON BEING GREAT SIGNIFICANCE PURPOSE MEANING in THIS LIFE! If you have your Bible with you, turn with me to MARK 9 if you don t; no worries. All of our Scriptures for today will be up on the screen and much of what we are doing is in your program. If you don t own a Bible and would like one, please stop by Java Jct/Blessed Bean and someone will get you set up with your own Bible. Speaking of which If you haven t already, I invite you to take out your message notes and Connection card... On one side you will see our Scripture for today and on the other you will find a brief outline walking us through our Scripture. You will see that there are blanks to fill in Please take the time to do so. Grab a pen and write down whatever else you think is important to you and your faith journey. After worship, drop off your CONNECTION CARD and take your notes home and refrigerate them. Please Re-read the Scripture and the notes to keep growing and learning. For those of you watching on-line, hit the button for notes and for CONNECTION CARD and stick with us. If you are watching/listening later, or IPODing; you can download the outline off of our website so you too can take notes. Let s pray and then we will press on with where we are going today LET S PRAY (turn off marked lights during prayer)! As we get into this series, EVERYDAY HEROES the TRUTH is that NOT MANY of us get to READ our OWN OBITUARIES. BUT, wouldn t you like to KNOW that PEOPLE are SAYING GOOD THINGS about YOU AFTER you are GONE?? Some of you have heard of ALFRED NOBEL. Alfred invented DYNAMITE with the thought that it would bring more PEACE to the WORLD. He thought that it was so POWERFUL that NO ONE would EVER want to go to WAR AGAIN! It didn t work out that way

2 In 1888, Alfred Nobel picked up the newspaper and found HIS OWN OBITUARY! As it turned out, it was his brother who had died and the newspaper got confused BUT, in the obit, it named ALFRED the MERCHANT OF DEATH because of his INVENTION. Alfred was SO UPSET that he would be REMEMBERED for something so TERRIBLE, that he changed his LIFE FOCUS to do something that would HELP the WORLD around him. He put in HIS WILL that over 90% of his NET WORTH at death would be used to establish NOBEL PRIZES Prizes given to those who, in the previous year, had MOST GREATLY BENEFITTED HUMANITY! See how WE REMEMBER him NOW?!? How will YOU be REMEMBERED?!? What IMPACT are you having RIGHT NOW?? Is that the WAY you WANT to be remembered? What MEANING and PURPOSE do you LIVE FOR?? What SIGNIFICANCE do you have? What LEGACY will you leave? I wonder HOW MANY PEOPLE find themselves WORKING HARD in this LIFE and ACCOMPLISHING and ACHIEVING, only to FIGURE out LATER that those ACHIEVEMENTS were pretty SHALLOW and EMPTY. And, if they could DO it OVER again, they would FOCUS on the things that would make a REAL DIFFERENCE. Think about how DIFFERENT our LIVES would be if we would take time to FIGURE out what is DEEPLY IMPORTANT and THEN we DID day-to-day LIFE ACCORDING to those things What if we had CERTAIN PRINCIPLES in our LIVES that DIRECTED and DROVE our LIVES?!? I. The Idea of Principle-Centered Living What if we GOT ON BOARD with the IDEA of PRINCIPLE-CENTERED LIVING?! Here s what we KNOW the PEOPLE throughout HISTORY and the PEOPLE in OUR lives who have experienced LONG-TERM HAPPINESS and SUCCESS and have ACHIEVED PURPOSEFUL and MEANINGFUL GOALS are those who LIVE by an IRON-CLAD, STRONG, LIFE-DIRECTING PRINCIPLE. And, here s the THING about PRINCIPLES that GUIDE our LIVES: Whether we REALIZE it or NOT or whether we LIKE it or NOT, we are ALL LIVING BY ONE! Because if we DON T set up and live INTENTIONALLY by a LIFE-PRINCIPLE, we will end up LIVING one out by DEFAULT. If we don t SET UP and establish ways to LIVE by a LIFE-PRINCIPLE, we will FALL into the PRINCIPLES set for us by our FAMILY and FRIENDS Principles that were PROBABLY NOT intended for US! Listen Nelson Searcy says: The CONTENT and STRENGTH of your DOMINANT GUIDING PRINCIPLE will DIRECTLY CORRELATE with the GREATNESS of your LIFE!! So, THINK for a MOMENT What is your current LIFE-PRINCIPLE? Do you even KNOW?? Where is that LIFE-PRINCIPLE TAKING YOU?? Because if it isn t toward TRUE GREATNESS, then it s the WRONG LIFE-PRINCIPLE! Well, if we are going to talk about GREATNESS I think it would be good for us to DEFINE GREATNESS. BECAUSE, there are MANY DEFINITIONS of SUCCESS and GREATNESS. Some people think that FINANCIAL SUCCESS = GREATNESS. Others think that POWER = GREATNESS. Still others think that FAME = GREATNESS. In your world, maybe GREATNESS is about being GOOD at your JOB or having a HAPPY FAMILY or staying in GOOD PHYSICAL SHAPE or being GOOD at your HOBBY. For HUMANS, GREATNESS is really hard to NAIL DOWN it means DIFFERENT things to DIFFERENT PEOPLE. It s hard to DEFINE!

3 BUT, in our BIBLES, we find that GOD S definition of GREATNESS is NOT ELUSIVE or HARD to NAIL DOWN. When the DISCIPLES were PLAYGROUND FIGHTING over WHO was the greatest they were LOOKING for Greatness according to what the WORLD THOUGHT. Jesus took that OPPORTUNITY to tell the DISCIPLES (which includes US as followers of JESUS) that they were CHASING the WRONG DEFINITION of GREATNESS! And, what JESUS TAUGHT that day was a PRINCIPLE WORTHY of being OUR LIFE-PRINCIPLE! Now, before I go any further, I need to address this. I know some of you. And some of you are already saying I M TOO OLD FOR THIS! I don t have much LIFE LEFT! How can I be thinking about LIFE-PRINCIPLES or a RE-SET on LIFE?!? Let me ask you a question: Has your OBITUARY been PUBLISHED YET?!? II. The Greatness Principle As we think about what JESUS TAUGHT that day, what we FIND is that this PRINCIPLE is not only for the WORLD to think of us as GREAT, but so that GOD will SEE US as GREAT! So, we can THINK about what JESUS taught that day as a GODLY GREATNESS PRINCIPLE a LIFE-PRINCIPLE worth PURSUING with EVERYTHING we HAVE! The FOUNDATION of this PRINCIPLE is mentioned in numerous places throughout the Old and New Testaments let s start with the DISCIPLES ARGUING from MARK Mark 9:33-35 = 33 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, What were you discussing out on the road? 34 But they didn t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else. 1 Jesus said this SAME THING this GREATNESS PRINCIPLE at other times as well. He told the Pharisees that the GREATEST among them must be a SERVANT. He even said of HIMSELF I came not to BE SERVED, but to SERVE OTHERS and GIVE MY LIFE for OTHERS! King Solomon said it in Proverbs that those who SERVE will be REFRESHED! PAUL talked about this GREATNESS PRINCIPLE as he wrote to the PEOPLE of the CHURCH in PHILIPPI Philippians 2:4-7 = 4 Don t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. We know that Jesus had the ATTITUDE of a SERVANT! All through HIS LIFE according to our BIBLES it was NEVER about JESUS it was always about the JOY and HAPPINESS of OTHERS! 6 Though he was God,* he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges*; he took the humble position of a slave* and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,* 2 So, here is this GREATNESS PRINCIPLE in its SIMPLEST FORM. This is the STUFF of SCRIPTURE giving credit to Pastor Nelson again The Greatness Principle: When you bless others, God blesses you. Our Bibles tell us that GOD WANTS to BLESS US and to BLESS us with GREAT LIFE! God did NOT SEND his SON so that you and I could get RIGHT with GOD and GOD could show us what a FULL, RICH LIFE REALLY IS! John 10:10 = 10 The thief s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. 3 1 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mk 9:33 35). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. 2 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Php 2:4 7). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. 3 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Jn 10:10). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

4 If GOD WANTS us to have a MEANINGFUL, PURPOSEFUL and FULFILLING LIFE, who are we to ARGUE?!? We all don t get to see our OBITUARY like Alfred NOBEL BUT, I wonder What will MINE SAY?? What will YOURS SAY?? Remember, God wants YOUR LIFE to be SIGNIFICANT and GREAT and BLESSED! III. Open Your Eyes A couple of months ago, the TRANSMISSION went out on my VEHICLE. And, with as many miles as I had on it, I had to consider LETTING it GO and finding NEW transportation. I didn t like the idea because I LIKE my VEHICLE! Now, what else you need to know about me is that I grew up LOOKING at CARS! My DAD and my OLDER BROTHERS loved CARS and RACING and MECHANIC work, etc. SO, with my TRAILBLAZER down, I had a chance to LOOK at CARS and I LIKE IT! I like the LOOKING NOT the BUYING! So, I have to think about what MY FAMILY NEEDS in a CAR. I have to be able to get around in the WINTER. I have to be able to HAUL my KIDS off to COLLEGE a 3 rd one NEXT YEAR, so I have to have SPACE to LOAD up all 6 of us and then HOOK up a UHAUL to get STUFF MOVED, right?! Have you ever noticed that AFTER you BUY a CAR you start to SEE MORE PEOPLE DRIVING that SAME CAR?!? Do you know WHY that IS?!? Because as it becomes PART of our LIVES, we become MORE AWARE of THEM!! I own a TRAILBLAZER, I NOTICE TRAILBLAZERS! As I started LOOKING at CERTAIN MAKES and MODELS, I became more AWARE of THEM! AND the MORE AWARE we become the MORE AWARE we become!! Right?! The MORE we FOCUS on SOMETHING, the MORE we BECOME FOCUSED on SOMETHING! We become FIXATED on that thing Well, if the GREATNESS PRINCIPLE says that WHEN you BLESS OTHERS, God BLESSES YOU the first thing we need to do is BLESS OTHERS! And, there are PLENTY of OPPORTUNITIES to BLESS OTHERS! BUT, we won t be able to SEE those OPPORTUNITIES until we become AWARE that they EXIST! We need to be FOCUSED on OPPORTUNITES to BLESS OTHERS so that we can become MORE FOCUSED on OPPORTUNITES to BLESS OTHERS! Now, HANG ON I understand that this DOES NOT come NATURALLY for us! We NATURALLY think about OURSELVES and OUR NEEDS and our WANTS and OUR DESIRES. Because, BY NATURE, we are SELFISH! We GO through LIFE FOCUSED on OUR OWN INTERESTS and NEEDS and HAPPINESS and FEELING GOOD! We don t NATURALLY FOCUS on OTHERS! So, we are challenged by SCRIPTURE to WORK at it Paul wrote to the Church in Philippi Philippians 2:3-4 = 3 Don t be selfish; don t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 4 As you ve heard me say many times IT S NOT ABOUT US! Now, we all know that DEEP DOWN INSIDE, we all LONG to be part of SOMETHING BIGGER than my OWN SHALLOW WANTS and NEEDS. Still, we FALL into the RUT of our SELFISHNESS. BUT GOOD NEWS by learning to BE AWARE of the OPPORTUNITIES around us, we can BREAK out of that RUT!! 4 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Php 2:3 4). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

5 God puts OPPORTUNITIES in front of us EVERY DAY People that God wants us to BLESS! And, if we want to EXPERIENCE the ABUNDANT LIFE that that God has for us and FIND SIGNIFICANCE and GROW in our SPIRITUAL MATURITY we have to be AWARE of the OPPORTUNITIES AROUND US Let me ask over the past FEW MONTHS HOW MANY OPPORTUNITIES have you MISSED?!? Co-workers who needed a listening ear your SPOUSE who needed some TIME or some HELP could you have made their life BETTER? How about your kids / grand kids? Have you missed OPPORTUNITES to ENCOURAGE them or BLESS THEM?? We ALL DO! Jesus talked about AWARENESS of our OPPORTUNITES to BLESS OTHERS OFTEN and he also talked about HOW MUCH it MATTERED to HIM!! IV. The Great Compassion As Jesus talked about HOW it would be as we are JUDGED for THIS LIFE and he talked about HIMSELF in the MIX! Here s what Jesus says Matthew 25:34-40 = 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. 37 Then these righteous ones will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you? 40 And the King will say, I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,* you were doing it to me! 5 Jesus just pointed out SIX SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES to BLESS OTHERS through our SERVICE What Jesus WANTS is for us to be AWARE of those OPPORTUNITIES! A. I Was Hungry Now, being the GOOD AMERICANS we are, we don t notice this one EASILY. BUT, statistics show that 1 in 6 Americans do NOT have enough to EAT, including more than 1 in 5 CHILDREN! In AMERICA! Outside of America, it s WORSE! And, we who are BLESSED with PLENTY have a RESPONSIBILITY, according to Scripture, to HELP! We have to be AWARE! And, what we FOCUS ON, we tend to FOCUS ON MORE! AND, be AWARE of WAYS you can HELP! At BMZ-Boscobel we have a MONTHLY FOOD PANTRY that serves numerous FAMILIES in the Region. Can you HELP STOCK the FOOD PANTRY? Can you HELP SERVE on the 3 rd SATURDAY of the MONTH? When we do INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS through INTERHOPE much of that money is for FOOD for the CHILDREN in the ORPHANAGES! BUT, it s NOT just PHYSICAL FOOD that people need. Be AWARE of the EMOTIONAL and SPIRITUAL HUNGER of the people around us those OPPORTUNITIES are EVERY DAY and ALL of the TIME! Be AWARE! Feed someone with a KIND WORD and/or REMINDING that person of their WORTH and telling and showing that we LOVE THEM. Most important though remind them that GOD LOVES THEM and that GOD has a plan for THEM to experience ABUNDANT LIFE TOO! B. I Was Thirsty 5 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mt 25:34 40). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

In the U.S. we have a pretty good supply of CLEAN WATER, but NOT SO in many parts of the world More than a BILLION people live without access to CLEAN WATER! Did you know that more than 2 MILLION people DIE every YEAR because of a lack of CLEAN WATER?! When we support our ORPHANAGES through INTERHOPE, that s part of what we do! When I was in BURMA, I found out that NO ONE DRINKS the WATER from the PIPES in BURMA they ALL DRINK BOTTLED WATER! When we support those ORPHANAGES, we are CARRYING out SCRIPTURE and the GREAT COMPASSION of CHRIST! Again, when it comes to THIRST, it s NOT just PHYSICAL! We are SURROUNDED by SPIRITUALLY THIRSTY PEOPLE! They are THIRSTY for MEANING and LOVE and ENCOURAGEMENT and FORGIVENESS so they can start living without all of the GUILT! Who is the OPPORTUNITY to BLESS in YOUR LIFE TODAY?!? C. I Was a Stranger Again, I think about the ORPHANAGES that we SUPPORT the CHILDREN that are being RESCUED or that have been ABANDONED are NOT WANTED! They are STRANGERS in their own CULTURE and COUNTRY! We are supporting them NO LONGER being STRANGERS but starting to be KNOWN! Who is it in YOUR LIFE that you are in a POSITION to BEFRIEND or help make part of the COMMUNITY or to give SUPPORT TO? This OPPORTUNITY happens when we have NEW PEOPLE come to our CHURCHES they COME IN feeling like STRANGERS do they leave FEELING the SAME?!? We have OPPORTUNITIES to make them feel at HOME! Will we? WHO WILL YOU INVITE for our BIG DAY on SEPTEMBER 27 th (I and I card)?? Is there someone in your life that you would BLESS if you LITERALLY INVITED them into your HOME?!? Dinner? Be WISE about this because of the WORLD we live in, but don t JUST IGNORE this ONE EITHER! D. I Was Naked How many of you OWN CLOTHES that you have NOT WORN in over a YEAR (I raise my hand!)?!? That is a GREAT REMINDER that we have an ABUNDANCE and many have VERY LITTLE! How can we HELP?? This would be a GREAT MISSION PROJECT for a GROWTH GROUP coming soon!! Be aware of this one and find ways CLOTHING BANKS with BOSCOBEL CAMPUS Food Pantry GAYS MILLS Appleland Community Closet PATCH GROVE CAMPUS Children s Clothing Give Away coming in OCTOBER I m sure there are others! E. I Was Sick Hey, if someone you know is SICK, it is a GREAT OPPORTUNITY to do SOMETHING! Maybe a cup of SOUP for a cold or SITTING with a FAMILY member who may have just found out of a serious illness Physically, everyone gets SICK from time to time BUT, MANY PEOPLE live with ONGOING SPIRITUAL and EMOTIONAL SICKNESS! Almost everyone around you is dealing with SELF-ESTEEM issues, DEPRESSION, LONELINESS and are QUESTIONING their WORTH. Can you offer any WORDS of ENCOURAGEMENT and/or ACTIONS of LOVE? F. I Was in Prison Now, Prison Ministry is much more SPECIALIZED than the other 5 OPPORTUNITIES. BUT, if you can, it is IMPORTANT if you have the OPPORTUNITY. We need to be AWARE of those who are OUTCASTS from our SOCIETY. What can we do?? 6

7 And, what about the PRISONS people MAKE for THEMSELVES?! People we know are in Prisons of SHAME and GUILT and DESPARATION and HURT and ADDICTIONS often PRISONS they have DESIGNED for themselves. Those OPPORTUNITIES are ALL AROUND US!! Are we AWARE? Are we FOCUSED on OPPORTUNITIES to BLESS people that WE might be able to HELP?!? Well, here is the THINK about GREATNESS BIBLICALLY when it comes to our FAITH As FOLLOWERS of CHRIST, we don t ASCEND to GREATNESS Actually, we become GREATER, the LOWER we GO! V. Lower Greatness IOW As we GROW in our FAITH, GOD LOWERS our TARGET. God wants us to become MORE LIKE JESUS, right?!? So, as we GROW in our FAITH, GOD gives us MORE and MORE OPPORTUNITIES to SERVE the LEAST of These (someone we are in a position to help). See, God wants to KNOW if you are WILLING to SERVE like JESUS DID. God wants to know if you will HUMBLE YOURSELF like JESUS DID. God wants to KNOW if YOU and I will BOW BEFORE HIM and ACKNOWLEGE that GOD is GOD and WE RE NOT and that we can ONLY ACHIEVE GREATNESS through GOD S POWER and God s LOVE and GOD S PRINCIPLES God s WAY! Will I make GOD S GREATNESS PRINCIPLE MY LIFE PRINCIPLE?!? God will bless me as I bless others So, do you want to be GREAT?!? GOD DOES! God wants YOU and ME to be EVERY DAY HEROES in a WORLD that is HURTING! As we RECEIVE COMMUNION this morning, let s REMEMBER that JESUS SAID, Every time you break bread and drink of the cup, do so REMEMBERING ME. Do we REMEMBER that JESUS was the ULTIMATE SERVANT?!? He lowered Himself to OUR LEVEL! As you come forward will you please pray Lord, OPEN my EYES so that I don t miss those OPPORTUNITIES Then, please give me YOUR LOVE so that I can LOVE OTHERS in need. Give me STRENGTH and COURAGE to LIVE for the PURPOSE of BLESSING YOUR PEOPLE Let s Pray!! NEXT SUNDAY: I Wonder if GOD has a SPECIFIC WAY that YOU are supposed to BE GREAT ACCORDING to the WAY GOD CREATED YOU?!? Next Steps: I will memorize John 10:10 Attend, as much as possible, the Everyday Heroes Series Start praying about who I will invite for our BIG DAY on September 27 th Pay attention to putting others interests above my own this week Truth without Grace is Fundamentalism (Brutality). Grace without Truth is Sentimentalism (Hypocrisy). Special thanks to Andy Stanley, Nelson Searcy, R.A. Pegram, Mike Slaughter and Perry Noble for outlines and ideas for this worship series.